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Illinois Football: Lovie Smith expected to be named Fighting Illini coach

By Patrick Schmidt

Dec 13, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith looks at a replay during the second half against the New Orleans Saints at Raymond James Stadium. The New Orleans Saints won 24-17. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 13, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith looks at a replay during the second half against the New Orleans Saints at Raymond James Stadium. The New Orleans Saints won 24-17. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Illinois football team is looking for its third head coach since August and former Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith appears to be the front-runner for the job.

Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman wasted no time putting his stamp on the Fighting Illini football program on his first official day on the job with the firing of Bill Cubit after one year on the job.

Cubit served as the interim head coach after Tim Beckman was fired one week before the start of the season for pressuring injured players to play hurt. Cubit went 5-7 and had the interim tag removed and given a two-year contract after the season. However, Whitman pulled the plug on that idea and also fired offensive coordinator and Cubit’s son Ryan Cubit to begin cleaning house.

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With Illinois football in need of a makeover after slipping further into mediocrity and irrelevance in the Big Ten, Whitman has reportedly targeted a coach with ties to the state and a coach who could inspire some optimism from the Chicago alumni base.

According to CBS’ Ryan Baker, former Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith will be the next Illinois football head coach. Further, David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune reports two NFL sources tell him Smith is in play at Illinois.

Smith has a 92-90 career record as an NFL head coach, including an 81-63 record during nine seasons with the Bears, including becoming the first African-American head coach to advance to a Super Bowl in 2006. Smith spent the last two seasons as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but was fired after a 6-10 season in 2015.

He doesn’t have any head coaching experience on the college level, but Smith was a linebacker and defensive backs coach from 1983-1995 with stops at Tulsa, Wisconsin, Arizona State, Kentucky Tennessee and Ohio State.

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Smith would be the first African-American head football coach at Illinois and would be a familiar name for fans in the area, but considering he’s never been a college head coach and been on the recruiting trail in that role, this would be an interesting hire.

But this could be the best Illinois can do considering the timing of Cubit’s termination. The top candidates have already been plucked and it’ll be difficult to pry a top assistant or sitting head coach from his current job in March.

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